Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Justice Society of America (spoilers!)

Damon is Damon Matthews, Obsidian's partner, as seen in the late, lamented Manhunter series. He and Todd were portrayed as having a very solid relationship in that series, but, as Mystery Lad and I noted, their relationship hasn't been so much as acknowledged in the JSA's book.

Hmm, you know, after reading Power Girl and Terra, and thinking about how the Huntress and Robin of Earth-2, and Kole, originally died in Crisis, there are plenty of pieces to make a story where Karen has the chance to have a proper goodbye with her former best friend.

Re: Justice Society of America #27 & #28 - I was a big fan of these last two issues!

Something else else about them just felt so comfortable to me, almost like a relief.

I've always been a fan of Ordway's art so that probably played a part but more than that I think I also found the low-key, old-school charm of this story to be an extremely welcome change of pace from all the frantic energy and doom and gloom that seems to pervade most modern comics.

Which is weird because this story certainly didn't back away from the heavy subject matter what with its dealings with Japanese anger and American guilt over what occurred at Hiroshima and everything.

That's heavy stuff that I don't think I've ever seen explored in comics before and while this story didn't go all that in-depth on the subject I still appreciated the attempt that was made.

It was also nice to see the Spectre along on a JSA adventure after so long away from the team and I also appreciated other touches like the journalists catching us up on the story at the beginning (reminding us that when heroes get attacked in the middle of New York City there are actually a lot of other people around getting involved), the World War II focus of the story (to remind us where this team began) and especially the use of a fun, under-used, semi old-school villain like Kung as the main antagonist.

I love seeing non-marquee villains like him getting used with some actual respect for a change rather than just being the latest victims whenever some lazy writer wants to show us how "bad-ass" their new hero is or how crazy the Joker can be for the umpteenth time or something.

After the vomit-worthy pile of self-indulgent kack that was Geoff Johns' final issue of this book and the fact I do not have any faith in Willingham or Sturges to tell good superhero comics after reading their dreadful Salvation Run, I'm glad this story meant I will be able to leave this series on a high note.

I'm a little uneasy about issue #29.

Yeah, I'm an Obsidian fan.

Obsidian being trapped in that egg form is disquieting. I'd hate for DC's most visible openly gay man to be shunted aside. Whatever is going on, remember how powerful Todd is--he pretty much had the entire world wrapped in darkness at one point--so whatever this is, it's big.

The other thing that bothers me is Mr. Terrific's comment that Obsidian never leaves the Brownstone. In addition to evidence to the contrary in several issues of this series, what does that say about Damon?

I liked the ghostly typography used for the JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA logo on the cover of #30 (a haunt font?), and I enjoyed the appearance of a character I both like and dislike.

Here, it was like- since his power's been toned down and is currently well within superteam usage.

I liked his tweaked costume, too.

The story devolved into a bit of standard superteam dysfunction, mostly at the hands of Magog (surprise, surprise) and Wildcat. Clearly, this leads to the split-book scenario, which I'm not too happy about. Mostly because I don't care for Magog and his KINGDOM COME connotations.

I don't believe for a moment that Mr. Terrific is really dead.

The intrigue comes from the two new teen characters. Who is using who and from where and why and who is or isn't what they seem are questions I look forward to seeing answered.

Up until now I thought the JSA was the best written comic on the shelves, but the last two issues have seemed...off. I'll keep reading, but I'm concerned.

#31-- wherein we get to see what it would be like if Brainiac 5 got tall and skinny, slapped on some white makeup and a shaggilicious wig and decided to join the JSA.

Also, the cliffhanger with Mr. Terrific continues. Still don't believe he's dead.

The Magog stuff leading to the split book is, to me, painful to read. I'm disappointed in this direction for these particular characters. I still think that the writers are talented and hope there's better ahead.

It's been a long time since I've fully enjoyed a JSA comic.

So a few more issues into the Sturges / Willingham run, and I think they've turned it around. I'm actually enjoying the story quite a bit, though some parts still grate on me a little. For the most part though, they are doing a bunch of things right:

- The usage of so many bigtime villains at first vexed me, but now a few issues later I see they are kind of fleshing them out a bit more. They have a great visual but I generally hate when comic books throw together as many villains as possible with little reason why. Dr. Polaris and several others have worked well here though. Still, no explanation whatsoever as to why powerhouses Eclipso and Blackbriar Thorn were there so the writers aren't off the hook yet.

- Power Girl has been well done these last few issues. That has stood out for me. And Magog, who is a jerk no doubt, has at least had a pretty consistent and defined point of view. And I think that is representative of the entire writing for most the team. And one is getting a chance, little by little, to showcase their POV. Some of it is really well done (Jay Garrick, obviously) while some of it still made me cringe (Hourman: "Its called being dashing, Jess"), but for the most part its good.

- They are using almost the entire JSA, which I like. Mr. America, Liberty Belle, Citizen Steel, etc. are all having at least little moments througout the whole thing. It is almost Crisis-esque in the usage of various characters in various places, such as Dr. Fate and Dr. Mid-Nite off with Green Lantern doing their thing, while others are doing their own.

- The inclusion of Dr. Fate and is interaction with Alan and Jay is welcome.

- The mystery of the All-American Kid and King Chimera, which at first I found annoying has become very interesting to me. I suspect the All-American Kid is actually the problem after all, but we'll see. King Chimera is highly annoying as a character but could make for good drama.

- Overall, the tension is there in the story. At first, the arguing was incredibly annoying to see because we've seen this argument a million times over, particularly in the late 1980's. Buuuut, as the issues go on, it becomes less grating as the tension shifts towards real danger approaching the team.

- Its obvious Mr. Terrific isn't dead, less comic fandom crucify DC staffers, so that subplot isn't exactly wowing me. But I do like the usage of Dr. Fate, Alan and Dr. Mid-Nite, so I'll hope it somehow has a point to it all.

Is the JSA as good as it was before? Not yet. But its not bad. However, lets not look at the JSA with rose-colored glasses. Since the title restarted at #1, I don't think its been all that great either, or at least not as great as it once was under Geoff (or under the awesome Geoff/Goyer team). I think the change in creative team was probably a healthly thing for the series so I'm hoping the Sturges/Willingham combo continue to find their footing and things get better.

Speaking of JSA...

I agree 100% with Cobie. I knew there was going to be some transition growing pains but I was patient.

Still don't care for the villains though. I hate the mob of generic DC villains attack thing. Infact a few of the villains interested me. The guy from Shadowpact with the hounds and the moon lady. No need for the too often used Dr. Polaris.

Love the art. It's Pacheco-esque...and I don't mind that. Very dynamic.

The new team's initial arc is now over. And Obsidian's still an egg... the 'nice' seeming new guy was, of course and stereotypically, the traitor, while the jerk's now an accepted member.

Yawn.

Kid Carnivore or whoever he is just filled all the sidekick haters with all king of glee, I'm sure.

King Chimera at least does make good use of his illusion powers, similar to Shooter's Princess Projectra (will the Wilcox-masquerading follow the trend, or will she be more Sensor Girl, I wonder?)

The team splits, prematurely I thought. The whole thing seems like a curse left by Gog though his still-unwitting agent, Magog and his sparring partner, Power Girl. They should just get a hotel room. They'd be better off and so would the fans.

Euwwww. Give Kara much more credit than that, ML.

JSA All Stars #1 came out this week. Matt Sturges brought a more character to each of the cast members than we've seen in a while. And what he brought flowed from John's work on the title. Cyclone is still a bit flighty, Stargirl is that bright eyed sassy girl we met and watched grow in the JSA. Magog brings his irritating personality to the team, but in an organic way. It was a solid first issue.

Williams art fit the lively tone of the story. It was exciting, colourful, energetic- all things you'd want form a team of all stars. His work can be a bit busy at times, but he holds his own from the big splash pages to the small, quieter scenes.

I'm looking forward to seeing more of this book.

I liked the writing a lot. Hate to see another Pemburton dead, apparently, but still... (Butt still? ewwwww)

The art...I'd give it a C. I see a lot of potential, but at times its very much too busy and the characters seen out of proportion. The best example I can think of is that at one point Power Girl's bicep seems to make a right turn back to her elbow.

I'm wary of the $3.99 JSA ALL-STARS price tag long term. I'll have to check to see if there were extra pages. I too thought it was a solid enough first issue.

I'm still onboard for JSA as well.

I think the first issue is my last. Didn't care for the writing at all, but the bar might be set high for JSA. I am certainly not going to pay $4 for it. At this point, I'm hoping the story-telling will pick up in the main book (I subscribe!). The new new new new Fate has potential, but I hope he doesn't walk around bumping into walls for very long.

I liked JSA:All Stars.

I didn't care for JSA. Willingham didn't wow me with his first issue. The story wasn't engaging, and the characters felt flat and generic. I'll give the man a couple of issues to get a handle on things. But I expected more.

I've been wary of this split and the new direction in general since Willingham and Sturges took over. I just read All-Stars # 1 today and JSA #33 (the last "merged" issue) a few days ago, and I'm still undecided whether I'll be sticking around longterm.

In hindasight the initial storyline of the new direction was obviously all set-up for this split. Certainly, this direction feels more writer-driven than character-driven, but I suppose its roots were in the divide shown in Johns' Gog storyline.

The problem is that the threat has been so nebulous and undefined since the new creative team took over. It was revealed in JSA 33 that the two threats, the all-out villain assault and the intrigue in the brownstone, were apparently coincedental and unrelated.

JSA All-Stars finally showed us who was aparently behind the mass villain attack. I liked the bad guy reveal here because I thought he was one of their more impressive foes from early Johns/Goyer storylines, but I'm confused about what the interest in Stargirl is. I'll admit my memory of the earlier storyline is far from perfect, so maybe I'm just forgetting stuff. I was also pleased to see a legacy villain show up who I hadn't been aware of before. (I'm guessing he came from Infinity Inc., which I have little experience with.) From what I can tell, he wasn't one of the two characters killed on the last page. It's also nice to see something's brewing with Sand.

Having not gotten to JSA 34 yet, I have no comment on the first Willingham solo book. I'd hazrd that in addition to showing the "old-school" half of the team primarily, it will also explore the separate threat from the opening storyline involving the Obsidian egg. I'm glad that the new Dr. Fate will be staying on but am missing Hawkman and Atom Smasher.

So all I know at this point is I'm definitely buying All-Stars # 2 because it was a decent first issue and holds some promise. Beyond 2 depends on how good an issue that one is. I'm more likely to follow JSA for at least a few more issues because of the preferable character mix, but the story's gotta improve for me to remain a long-hauler.

Lardi, what did you think of All Stars #2?

Sturgis has a great handle on his characters. Power Girl and Magog both get the POV treatment. PG gives us a bit of that brassy we like about her. Magog gives us that arrogance we know and find irritating.

The Injustice Society is back, and they are played well, like the professionals they are. I'm looking forward to Sturgis' take on them.

The story itself- Johnny Sorrow has a crush on Stargirl and wants to take her for his own- doesn't seem to have the strength to carry out for long. I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes from here.

I enjoyed # 2.

The Liberty Belle/Hourman backup could end up to be fun.

I hope so, because that's what your extra dollar's buying ya

I read JSoA #34 and All-Stars #1 & 2 all in a sitting (well, laying) this weekend. I've been dreading this whole affair. I'm a child of divorced parents, and my wife's family saw two marital splits just last week. So, I was primed to line the bird cage with these books and cancel my subscription. And then they totally blew me away, All-Stars in particular. I'm afraid I'm now stuck with two comics that I REALLY like. In fact, I already like both books MUCH more than any of the Willingham/Sturges "combined" JSofA stories.

What did I like? First and foremost, virtually every character rang absolutely true. I felt like I was reading stories about real people again, something the previous arc really lacked. There was pathos, humor, argument and affection flowing from each page.

Second, the fact that both stories addressed up front the concerns about the "split," and the personification of those concerns, and misconceptions, in the Liberty Belle/Hourman marriage. This was brilliantly done to both allay my fears and win me over, even though I know that there is more of a real split here than the writers want to convey. Arguing over the jet, for instance. But that reality of "we're not splitting up but we're living in separate places" somehow made me feel better about the whole thing. The clear coordination between Willingham and Sturges, especially both sides of the Libby/Rick phone calls, made it all worthwhile. I do hope, after each book establishes its own voice and place, we can see the two parts of the team interract in a low-key casual way and for the occasional all-hands-on-deck slugfest.

Third, I loved that both writers have addressed in story the issue of the JSA getting so caught with its collective pants down in the previous arc. In JSoA, the whole story hinges on the Society NOT making that same mistake twice. In All-Stars, we at least get a technological reason (and something of a mystery) as to why the bad guys are able to sneak up on a Kryptonian so easily.

Fourth, the art. JSoA looks classic, almost Ordway-esque (trademark), and All-Stars looks youthful and a little edgy (can't wait to see more ways for Williams to strategically shred Power Girl's costume).

Fifth, Magog's a bust, at least at first, and that really cheers me up. I HATE Magog, and I hate saying that, knowing he's supposed to be a descendent of FDR. But I hate the character, and I'm pleased to see that Power Girl won't be steamrolled by him, and that the other All-Stars don't necessarily take to becoming instant Marines.

Sixth, the villains! Mordru! Johnny Sorrow! Injustice Gang! Android Commies! Some Pemberton dude! All very enjoyable. I loved, loved, loved the disembodied Mordru proclaiming he would write the rules of the new Age of Magic, while he's floating around powerless in the JLA cave. Priceless. And Sorrow remains the creepy freak he always has been.

Seventh, Sandy! Thank the maker he's coming back. I was really peeved by Johns's neglect of this great character.

Lastly, the Libby/Hourman backup story is charming and entertaining. Equal parts Indiana Jones, Thin Man and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. It's the best DC backup I've read, by a mile (yes, I like it MUCH better than Rucka's Question backup). This is one story that's worth paying extra for. Who's the writer anyway? She rawks! Can't wait for the next issue.

All told, while I was completely convinced that Willingham and Sturges were ruining my beloved JSA, it turns out they were bringing back, in a fresh new way, so many of the best parts of the original Robinson/Goyer/Johns run--the characters, the humor, the sense of danger, and the excitement of not knowing what comes next.

I'm most interested in the Sandman subplot. I'd still like to see him team up with Nura Nal. More possible than I'd thought, since she's apparently either in the 21st century or will be soon (held captive, evidently).

The villains are a plus. Mordru, I'm not so wild about in his 'early' years- he's definitely one to watch, though. By this point, has he had more JSA appearances than LSH ones? Probably not, but it won't be too long, at this rate.

I'm a bit disappointed in Icicle and Tigress-- I know they've chosen the Injustice Gang, but I think of them as a cut above general villainry. By 'above', I guess I mean edging into gray.

DC doesn't have that many reformed villains, unlike Marvel. I think Icicle could someday be one, Tigress less so- but possible. Pemberton is saddening. The thought of him makes me sigh.

Y'know I liked the brief glimpses of the soldier that became Magog quite a bit. What was his name? Reid? Anyway, I don't like his superheroic identity, either- not least because I really resist any Kingdom Come-ization of the DCU. Let the Elseworld story rest on its considerable laurels.

The Belle/Hourman back-up is fun-- and paints the couple I mentioned before in colors more varied than the main story does/did.

If Obsidian really does get the storyline attention that's been mentioned in interviews and doesn't go all evil on us, if Sandman finally gets a storyline or two all on his own, if Belle and Hourman continue on their screwball heroic way, if Alan, Jay and Ted continue inspiring- then I'll be a happy reader.

I finished JSA #34 for Willingham's first solo issue and read All-Stars #1 by Sturges (but not yet #2) and so far, I'm cautiously enjoying both series. Neither one is exactly wowing me yet, but I feel like the potential is there for both of them.

The Mordru story in JSA so far is only "ok"--it reminds me more of a 1970's superhero story in the delivery of the main plot. I also find All-American Kid to be a pretty devious and scary villain. I know Willingham can write villains who are absolutely horrifying with nothing other than their minds (just from reading Fables), and I feel he is heading that way.

The All-Stars have a line-up I'm a bit less interested in but Johnny Sorrow is a much more interesting read for me, and I can't wait to see what's in store. I've always found him fascinating.

I've been a bit pessimistic of the direction of the JSA but felt the end of the last story arc really delivered. I'm slowly growing more optimistic because of a little what CJ says above: there is a return to the early days of not really knowing what's going to happen next. I really think the last few years of John's run had gotten very complacent and "safe". I'm glad to see that gone. Even more important than that, the split seems to be priming both series to have much more characterization and focus on individuals than JSA has had for a long time. And that is sorely needed for so many of them! So if splitting up the team gives us that then I think we make out on the trade.

I'm particularly interested in seeing Sand, Obsidion and some other neglected characters (honestly, why should we care about Lightning? We need a reason and I hope we get it). I'm also interested in seeing some favorites shine on a recurring basis like Mr. Terrific, Hourman & Liberty Belle, Dr. Midnight, etc. One character I want to see more is Mr. America; his look is so classic that it stands out from all the others.

I also like the tension naturally between Magog and Power Girl; the fact that Magog respects her helps add to that. I sincerely hope they don't end up hooking up though (I recently dropped both of their solo series so I would have no idea who they are dating on their own).

That all being said, I'm not 100% enthusiastic--I need to be won over now.

Shoot, Cobes-- you should have gotten PG # 7. It's been the best yet, quite amusing.